Process of bleaching oils and fats.



UNITED, STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES BASKERVILLIQQOF NEW YORK, N. Y.

PROCESS OF BLEACHING OILS AND FATS.

No Drawing.

Specification of Letters l atent.

To all 'whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GHARLns Blisxnnvinnn,

' a citizen of the United states residing at New York, in the county ofNew York and State of New York, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Processes of Bleaching Oils and Fats, of which thefollowing is a specification.

For the purpose of bleaching vegetable and animal oils and fats, it iscustomary to treat the raw material with an inorganic absorbent, such asfullers earth, either by agitating it with the earth or percolating itthrougha body of the earth.

I have found that oils and fats, for example, cottonseed oil, either inthe crude condition, neutralized with an alkali, or

' treated with fullers earth alone, may .be

converted into products of superior color and brilliance by treatingthem with a mixture of the fullers earth or other inorganic absorbentand an organic absorbent, such as wood pulp or unsized paper, whichorganic absorbent may or may not have received a previous treatment withalkali. I have also discovered that the bleaching action of fullersearth or other inorganic absorbent, and of the mixture thereof with anorganic absorbent, such as wood pulp or unsized paper, is greatlyenhanced by the addition thereto of an electrolyte. Electrolytes which,for example, have been used and found desirable, are the chlorid andsulfates of sodium, potassium and iron, calcium chlorid andaluminum-potassium sulfate, sodium chlorid being preferred forbromatological and economic reasons. Halid acids may be used but areregarded as less desirable. The action of the electrolytes usedcolloidal coloring-matter, similar in many respects to a dissolveddyestufi. The electrolyte, dissolved in the small amount of waterpresent in the oil and fullers earth, coagulates, agglomerates orpectizes this colloidal coloring-matter, the aggregated particles beingof such comparatively large size that they may be easily removed by thefullers earth and wood pulp, by absorption and entanglement. The woodpulp has notable dye-absorbing properties, which are enhanced by themordant action of the electrolyte. I have also discovered that thedecolorizing action of the mixtures referred to above is enhanced byagitating the oil Patented Oct. 20, 1914.. Application filed January24,1913. serial No. 744,046.

. with successive portions of the mixture, instead of treating 1t withthe entire amount cottonseed or-other vegetable oil, or liquefied fat,with about twelve per cent. by weight of a mixture of about ten parts offullers earth,'one part ofsodium chlorid and-lone part of wood pulpcontaining from twenty to twenty-five per cent. of water. The treatmentmay be effected at a temperature of 0., the decolorizing mixture beingadded all at once. Cottonseed oil so treated is, after filtering, of apale yellow color, and is clear and brilliant. By repeating theprocess,.the oil is further bleached.

It has been ascertained that, in practice,

approximately three per cent. of fullers earth will accomplish on anindustrial scale what ten per cent. of fullers earth will accomplish ona laboratory scale. I do not,

therefore, restrict myself to ten percent. of,

fullers earth, one per cent. of sodium chlorid and one-per cent. of woodpulp.

In the experiments carried out, the wood pulp used contained twenty totwenty-five per cent. of water, but I do not restrict myself to anydefinite percentage of water in the organic absorbent employed.

I claim:

1. The process of bleaching oils and fats,

which consists in treating them with a mixture of an inorganic absorbenthaving the essential qualities of fullers earth, and an organicabsorbent.

2. The process of bleaching oils and fats, which consists in treatingthem with a mixture of fullers earth and a fibrous organic absorbent.

3. The process of bleaching oils and fats, which consists in treatingthem with a mixture of fullers earth and a cellulosic v material.

4. The process of bleaching oils and fats, which consists in treatingthem with an inorganic absorbent, an organic absorbent, and anelectrolyte.

5. The process of bleaching oils and fats, which consists in treatingthem with an inorganic absorbent, an organic absorbent, and sodiumchlorid.

'6. The process of bleaching oils and fats which consists in treatingthemwith fullers earth, an organic absorbent, and sodium chlorid.

which consists in treating them with fullers earth, a fibrous vegetablematerial, and an electrolyte, the treatment being carried out insuccessive stages.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature 15 in presence of twowitnesses.

CHARLES BASKERVILLE. Witnesses:

W. A. HAMOR, THOMAS F. OKEEFFE.

